ARC Review: The Queen by Tiffany Reisz

27 Oct 2015

Once upon a time, Nora and Søren made a fateful deal—if he gave her everything, she would give him forever.

The time has finally come to keep their promises.

Out of money and out of options after her year-long exile, Eleanor Schreiber agrees to join forces with Kingsley Edge, the king of kink. After her first taste of power as a Dominant, Eleanor buries her old submissive self and transforms into Mistress Nora, the Red Queen. With the help of a mysterious young man with a job even more illicit than her own, Nora squares off against a cunning rival in her quest to become the most respected, the most feared Dominatrix in the Underground.

While new lovers and the sweet taste of freedom intoxicate Nora, she is tempted time and time again by Søren, her only love and the one man who refuses to bow to her. But when Søren accepts a new church assignment in a dangerous country, she must make an agonizing choice—will the queen keep her throne and let her lover go, or trade in her crown for Søren's collar?

With a shattering final confession, the last link in the chain is forged in The Original Sinners saga. It's the closing chapter in a story of salvation, sacrifice and the multitude of scars we collect in the name of ecstasy—and love.

It breaks my heart to write this review because it feels like I'm officially saying goodbye to a series I've come to love so much. This alluring world that Tiffany Reisz has created, these complex characters that I've admired; we've reached the final chapter of an amazing saga. The Queen marks the epic conclusion to the entire Original Sinners series that we've all been holding our breath for. And our Queen, the one and only Tiffany Reisz has delivered and brought this entire journey back to a full circle.

The final instalment picks up from where we left off with The Virgin, the beautiful wedding that finally takes place for one very lucky couple. All our beloved characters have come together for one last time, reminiscence of the past begins. But one crucial piece of the puzzle still remains throughout the entire series...the year that Eleanor became Mistress Nora. The rise of the Red Queen in the Underground.

And so it begins. With a confession from Nora to her beloved Soren in the present day.

“Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned,” she began her confession.

I'm not gonna lie, this was the story I've been WAITING for. Ever since picking up the very first book, The Siren, Nora has captivated me with her dominatrix ways. So to be able to finally witness the transformation of Eleanor to Mistress Nora, I couldn't ask for a better way to end this saga and our Queen delivered it in spades. Eventhough it may seemed that this book will focus primarily on Nora, more importantly we got to explore more in depth between the dynamics that make up Nora, Soren and Kingsley. Book after book, there's always still so much more that we've yet to learn. That is the absolute beauty of this series and the writing perfection to be expected from TR.

The level of respect and love that Nora, Soren and Kingsley have for each other is one that astounds me and one that I will probably never encounter in any other books I'll read. Underneath all that kink and unconventional taboo relationship lies the greatest devotion you'll ever see shared between three people. This is the book that will piece all the bits together and fill in all the gaps in the past, to finally understand what defines these characters and made them who they are.

“This was how they were faithful to each other, by letting each other be faithful to their own hearts."

Everything comes back to one full circle but what really took the cake for me in this entire read was the last portion of it. Tiffany Reisz stripped down the final layer of Soren and bare to us this unmasked version of the powerful man we've never seen before. Needless to say, I weeped my way through that scene and goddamnit was it beautiful. I've never doubted his love for Nora and Kingsley but that final scene right there...it just solidifies everything I've come to love and admire in that man.

You know the saying where great stories will live on forever? That rings true here with the Original Sinners. Even with the final chapter sealing the fate of this saga, I know for a fact that the series will stay on with me forever. Tiffany Reisz is a world-class storyteller and with every read she puts out, I can only expect greatness and never once has she failed on me yet. She doesn't even need to put out a heart-stopping read as a finale to win me over, she just needs to do what she does best: writing one helluva read.

“My endgame is the same endgame as in every game of chess."

The only thing that I could probably do without in this series was the introduction of Nico. He was probably the only character that hardly stuck with me and dare I say, quite forgettable. Regardless, this series was still perfect in my eyes.

In a true TR fashion and right down to the VERY LAST LINE, that woman never fails to surprise you. What a perfect brilliant way to end this amazing saga with just that final word. I bow down to you, my Queen. And thank you for giving us an unforgettable journey with the Sinners.

The Queen is the final book in The White Year series and the conclusion to The Original Sinners series. It should be read in order and is also recommended to only read this series after finishing The Red Year series (Book 1 -4).

ARC kindly provided by Harlequin via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tiffany Reisz lives in Portland, Oregon with her boyfriend (a reformed book reviewer) and two cats (one good, one evil). She graduated with a B.A. in English from Centre College in Danville, Kentucky and is making both her parents and her professors proud by writing BDSM erotica under her real name.

When not under arrest, Tiffany enjoys Latin Dance, Latin Men, and Latin Verbs. She dropped out of a conservative southern seminary in order to pursue her dream of becoming a smut peddler. Johnny Depp’s aunt was her fourth grade teacher. Her first full-length novel THE SIREN was inspired by a desire to tie up actor Jason Isaacs (on paper). She hopes someday life will imitate art (in bed).

THE SIREN was awarded the RT Reviewer's Choice Award for Best Erotic Romance 2012.

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